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# Process of Scientific Inquiry This document describes a process for teaching science, focusing on the interplay between specific observations and general principles. It outlines the roles of both the teacher and the students in this process. ## General Process The process begins with specific...

# Process of Scientific Inquiry This document describes a process for teaching science, focusing on the interplay between specific observations and general principles. It outlines the roles of both the teacher and the students in this process. ## General Process The process begins with specific observations and experiments. Students then use these specific results to develop and test their scientific hypotheses and/or scientific laws. This process moves from specifics to a general conclusion. ## Role of Teacher and Student * **Teacher**: The teacher acts as a facilitator and guide, offering examples and facilitating discovery. * **Student**: Students actively participate in the experimentation, observation, and discovery of underlying principles or rules. ## Strengths of the Approach * Encourages critical thinking, creativity and problem solving. * Promotes deeper understanding by student involvement in the discovery process. ## Weaknesses of the Approach * Can be time-consuming and may require more cognitive effort. * May be challenging if students struggle to identify the correct patterns or generalizations of the results. ## Key Differences * Both methods (specific-to-general & general-to-specific) are potentially valuable tools in education. * Use of these approaches in education depends on learning targets, developmental phases and subject matter.